Top of the Rocks has been on our must do list for quite awhile, so we were thrilled to get a chance to stop near Branson, Missouri, on our way back to Montana this Spring.
Created by Bass Pro Shop's Johnny Morris, Top of the Rock is a world class playground for outdoor enthusiasts. We'd heard there was an amazing collection of Native American artifacts at the museum, so that was the big draw for us; however, we soon learned that there is SO much more going on here. This place is full of history, geological wonders, lake fun and first class golf. We wish we had more time to explore and play here, and we'd love to come back again in the future!
See our video from Top of the Rock HERE.
Lost Canyon Cave Golf Cart Tour
We started the day with the golf cart tour (tickets to the tour include entry into the museum - BOGO!) This was one of the coolest things that we've done! You can drive your own golf cart down a path that winds through beautiful forests, past cascading waterfalls, over springs, through caves, and across bridges and canyons. 10 out of 10 - Highly recommend!
Arnie's Place
This place spoke right to Raymond's timber loving heart. We knew as soon as we read the story about this place, that we just had to stop and grab lunch here.
"The beautiful, rustic structure began as an old barn near Arnold Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The 150-year-old barn was carefully disassembled by Ozark craftsman Danny Schwartz and his family, transported to Top of the Rock and rebuilt plank by plank."
Not only does it have an incredible history, it has an absolutely stunning view of a gorgeous par-3 golf course, adorned with a stone church overlooking Table Rock Lake. The view also includes the ongoing construction site of the Cathedral of Nature - It once was the driving range and putting green, until a sink hole opened up over night several years ago. Johnny Morris has since had crews slowly removing dirt to unveil the magnificent canyons hiding below. It is rumored that it will be part of the golf cart canyon tour in the future.
Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum
We'd heard of the extensive collection of Native American artifacts here, but we were truly blown away by the amount of history on display. Not only the sheer amount amazed us, but we were also impressed with the tasteful way in which it was all displayed. There was also a section on the Civil War, and skeletons of extinct creatures as well. 10 out of 10 - incredible!
Big Cedar Lodge
We drove down the hill from the welcome center to the lodge to check it out, and we were shocked at how big it was. There were lodges, cabins, restaurants, putt-putt, swimming pools, marinas... You name it, I'm sure it was there! We walked around the grounds just a little but didn't even come close to scratching the surface of what is on this property.
Where to Stay?
There is not an RV park at Top of the Rock, but we stayed just a few miles away at Branson Stagecoach RV Park. It wasn't anything special, but worked for us just fine. It was conveniently located right across the road from Table Rock State Park. (The State Park has a great campground, but we were not able to get in last minute. This would be a great place to camp!) We did wander down to the marina to check out all of the boats and fish. We spotted several huge bass spawning near the shore, and fed the massive carp a few handfuls of fish food. The marina was probably the nicest one we've ever seen - super impressed!
